Just follow the numbers through St. Charles

Nobody had asked this question in some time. But a reader did a week or so ago, and it reminded me that plenty of new people in the area likely have no idea why intersections along Main Street in St. Charles have numbers posted on them.

It's been nearly five years since former St. Charles Downtown Partnership executive director Neal Smith brought back an idea he had seen work in Knoxville, Tenn.

Basically, it was to have numbers posted on intersections as a way to make it easier for visitors or delivery people to navigate their way through town. It made much sense for St. Charles in particular, since the west side of the river had streets and the east side had avenues.

Many residents have tales about furniture, electronics, pizzas or out-of-town visitors showing up at, for example, a similar address on Second Avenue rather than the true destination on Second Street.

Get out your pens and paper, folks. Here is the score card for the streets that are part of the Main Street numbering system, heading west from Pheasant Run:

1. Pheasant Run entrance

2. Kautz Road

3. 38th Avenue

4. Charlestowne Mall entrance

5. Kirk Road

6. Entrance to Foxfield stores (Butera) and Lakeside Drive

7. Dunham Road/Industrial Drive

8. Tyler Road

9. Seventh Avenue

10. Fifth Avenue

11. First Avenue

12. First Street

13. Second Street (Route 31)

14. Third Street

15. Seventh Street

16. 15th Street (Valley Shopping Center)

17. Randall Road, though no number is posted

18. Reserved in case the state ever OKs a stoplight by the new post office

19. Peck Road.

Some Bulldog lights:

Just a thought. How about red and yellow floodlights inside the water fountain on Batavia's Riverwalk near Depot Pond next spring? At the risk of turning one of the area's nicest downtown features into something with a bit of Vegas, this would at least cast the colors of the Batavia Bulldogs onto a community centerpiece. Plus, it would look cool.

Plenty of dirty hands:

You appreciate the work of volunteers who want our communities to catch your eye. Plants along street corners and on our bridges have always been a key in that process. And when you take into account how long some of the volunteers have been at it - the Pottawatomie Garden Club in St. Charles, for example, has put in the plants along the Main Street bridge for 31 years - you realize this is a labor of love as much as anything else.

Za Za's transformation:

When Dino Sisto announced last May that he was going to buy the Za Za Trattoria restaurant building that he had been renting from the city, he spoke of a vision for his excellent eatery along First Street in St. Charles.

Basically, he felt he could turn it into the perfect gem for enticing people onto the new First Street - the most significant renovation and expansion project undertaken by any city in the history of the Tri-Cities.

Based on what the restaurant has been transformed into, Sisto was right on target. It is fitting that Sisto was determined to make this happen, as this popular restaurant's future was the topic of much discussion when the city obtained the building with the intent of possibly knocking it down - if that's what was needed under some First Street project scenarios.

Staying power:

And to think my grandfather wanted to bet me that "No one will know who the Beatles were 10 years from now." Grandpa made that bold statement while I was fixated on a black-and-white broadcast of the Fab Four on the "Ed Sullivan Show" some 45 years ago.

I don't recall what my reply was at that time, but I wish I could have said, "Forty-five years from now, kids who wouldn't have a clue who Ed Sullivan was, will still be listening to the Beatles."

And so it was with Geneva High School's homecoming last weekend with a Beatles theme and plenty of the songs we all remember so well.

But I can somewhat relate to Grandpa's old logic. I once said the same thing to some young kids who were going wild over a young singer named Madonna. And that was about 26 years ago.

Those strange Cubbies:

Call me a glutton for punishment. I actually went up to Milwaukee recently to see the Cubs play the Brewers.

Why, you ask? It was part of a two-day golf and baseball excursion that I take in annually with friends.

It hurts your brain to think about the Cubs too much, and you just have to somehow keep the faith for the future. That becomes more difficult as ticket prices soar and players become very unlikable.

But true Cubs fans were even rooting for a guy like Milton Bradley early on. We want all players who wear Cubbie blue to excel and thrill us.

When the season goes into the garbage for no other reason than the "stars" you heavily relied on simply stunk the place up, you start to get a little ornery about how much money you are shelling out to see a game.

That, as much as anything, is why I believe boo birds are more prevalent at Wrigley Field and around most other stadiums in the country.

dheun@sbcglobal.net